Editor's Note

The Charge

Don Diego: "Do you know how to use that thing?" Alejandro:
"Of course! The pointy end goes into the other man!"

Opening Statement

The summer of 1998 was a noisy one, to be sure. In the cinema, we saw giant
meteors (Armageddon), huge lizards
(Godzilla), flood thrillers (Hard Rain), and outer space adventures
based on campy TV series (Lost In
Space). For me, the highlight was the rekindling of pulp writer Johnston
McCulley's Zorro. Following the cancellation of Walt Disney's hit 1950s
television series starring Guy Williams, many attempts were made to bring the
classic character to the big (Zorro, The Gay Blade) and small (Zorro
And Son) screens. All of these versions, for whatever reasons, failed to
make an impression.

That all changed when executive producer Steven Spielberg and director
Martin Campbell (Casino Royale)
unleashed the big-budget The Mask Of Zorro. Sporting the action, romance,
and post-modern sensibilities of Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, the
film would garner both critical and audience acclaim, making it one of the few
delights in a summer full of headaches. Now that Sony has given the film the
Blu-ray treatment, is it worth upgrading?

Facts of the Case

Spanish California, 1821. An aging Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins, The Silence Of The Lambs)—for
years, a hero of the oppressed, fighting the tyranny of Spanish Governor Don
Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson, Hot
Fuzz)—announces his retirement. Soon after, Montero unmasks the
vigilante, destroys his home, and takes his baby daughter Elena to raise her as
his own.

Twenty years later, the long-imprisoned Diego manages to escape, seeking
vengeance on Montero for destroying his life. When he sees Elena (Catherine
Zeta-Jones, No Reservations)
accompanying Montero, however, he realizes he's going to need not only a plan
but additional help. Enter thief Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas, Evita), who provided assistance to Zorro
during his last ride. Diego trains Alejandro to be the new Zorro, right before
Montero implements a new strategy to become rich by exploiting the peasants.
Alejandro now must deal with a swine of an Army captain Harrison Love (Matt
Letscher, Towelhead), while falling in love
with the fetching Elena.

The Evidence

The major difference between The Mask Of Zorro and the other
aforementioned summer hits is the film's style and execution. While all suffered
from an overdose of CGI, Zorro was
faithful to the Saturday matinee serials of the 1940s, a genre in which the
character had a prominent presence. Spielberg no doubt grew up watching chapters
of Zorro's Fighting Legion and Zorro's Black Whip, as his love of
the serial is evident in Raiders Of
The Lost Ark. Since he was no doubt busy working on Saving Private Ryan, he garners a
fine substitute for the director's chair in Campbell, who had just helmed the
riveting Bond adventure Goldeneye.
Campbell was able to inject a generous amount of freshness and energy into a
nearly 80-year-old property, utilizing deliciously old-fashioned tricks and
stunts to move the story forward.

Even though The Mask Of Zorro runs well over two hours, there isn't a
dull moment in this exhilarating, rip-roaring adventure, which has all the zesty
ingredients we've come to expect from Zorro stories. The swashbuckling
scenes are dynamic and sensational. The humor is rich and lively. The period
detail is expansive and flavorful. The trademark "Z"s and horse
salutes are perfectly placed. And the growing sexual tension between Elena and
Alejandro is positively electric, with the stable scene emerging as a landmark
in on-screen eroticism. (Both actors admitted to sexual arousal while
filming.)

While I consider Guy Williams to be the definitive Zorro, Antonio Banderas
is more than engaging. He's the first Hispanic actor to play the Spanish Fox,
infusing the character with agility, wit, and charm. As his mentor, Hopkins must
have seemed like an unlikely candidate as an elder Zorro, but we would be fools
to underestimate him. Hopkins is really the heart of the piece, generating
pathos in almost every scene. As for Zeta-Jones, well, what can you say? A
complete unknown at the time, she became a star overnight, and it's easy to see
why. Finally, both Stuart Wilson and Matt Letscher make awesome villains, oozing
evil and slime in equal doses. As for the supporting cast, my personal favorite
is L.Q. Jones (The Wild Bunch) as the
"legendary" bandit Three-Fingered Jack, adding panache and flair to a
colorful character.

Since its theatrical release, The Mask Of Zorro has come out in
Special, Deluxe, and Superbit DVD editions. All retained the same bonus
features, except for the 2005 release which saw sneak previews of the sequel, The Legend Of Zorro. In addition to
the Blu-ray, Sony is releasing the film yet again on regular DVD as a double
bill with its sequel. Will the multi-dipping never end?

To be fair, the film has never looked better than it does on Blu-ray, its
2.40:1 AVC MPEG-4 transfer eclipsing all previous releases. When I compared it
with the 2005 Deluxe Edition, the upgrade is noticeable but not quite as
eye-popping as one would hope. Grain is kept to a minimum, colors are warm and
vibrant, black levels are strong and deep, and flesh tones are fine (thank
goodness!). Unfortunately, the high definition "wow" really isn't
here.

The sword fights and James Horner's superb score are given proper respect in
the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track. The whip cracks are especially noteworthy,
snapping through your speakers with such power it makes you jump. The explosions
during the El Dorado finale pound away, as all action films should, with clear
dialogue in the center channel. Sony's high quality audio presentation is once
again the butter to the bread. DTS-HD tracks are also available in French and
Portuguese, although the Spanish track is curiously only standard 5.1 surround.
Subtitles are available in all languages including English SDH.

As mentioned before, all of the special features are holdovers from previous
DVD releases, and thus are presented in standard definition and Dolby 2.0
Stereo. The one exception is BD-Live, which includes a Movie-IQ trivia track.
Martin Campbell's commentary is surprisingly enjoyable, as he talks about the
filmmaking process and working with the actors. Unlike many solo efforts, he
does manage to keep talking throughout, though occasionally surrenders himself
to repeating what's visible on screen. Even better is the 45-minute documentary
"Unmasking Zorro," which, while clip-heavy, gets the job done.
Gathering as many talking heads as possible and covering all areas of
production, this is less EPK in nature than one might assume. Those who aren't
into solo commentaries should find plenty to info to absorb here.

Rounding out the extras are two deleted scenes, which are visually rough but
interesting nonetheless. There's also a music video (man, this feels so '90s) of
the love theme "I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You" by Marc
Anthony & Tina Erena. Finally, we have a behind-the-scenes sneak peek and
exclusive scene from The Legend Of Zorro, which are rather
unnecessary.

Closing Statement

The Legend Of Zorro (2005)
wasn't the sequel we were expecting, lacking the genuine fun and excitement of
its predecessor. What's surprising is not only did Campbell return to direct,
but it was written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman, the same guys who
revived Star Trek (2009) with thunder and passion. Oh, well…at
least The Mask Of Zorro remains a joy to watch. An upgrade is not really
necessary, unless you are a Blu-enthusiast or your DVD copy is due for a
replacement.